CommuniCore
CommuniCore at EPCOT Center at Walt Disney World Resort, Florida, was the Science and Technology pavilion housed in two semi-circular buildings behind Spaceship Earth at the heart of Future World, serving as the "Community Core" of the park. The two buildings were known as CommuniCore East and West and housed rotating exhibits and were designed in such a way that they could be expanded if the need arose, though these plans largely went unimplemented. It opened on October 1, 1982 with the rest of the park and closed in stages from 1993 to 1994. The pavilion reopened in 1994 as Innoventions, with almost all of the previous exhibits having been replaced. With the 2019 closure of Innoventions set to result in a drastic re-imagining of Epcot's "Community Core", only the East building will survive. CommuniCore East EPCOT Computer Central Sponsored by Sperry and later Unisys, Computer Central featured a number of interactive exhibits and a room containing some of the computers that ran the entire park. Two shows that allowed guests a look at this computer room ran during the lifespan of CommuniCore. *Astuter Computer Revue (1982-1984) *Backstage Magic (1984-1993) Computer Central was also home to: * SMRT-1, the robotic mascot of the pavilion who would interact with guests by way of phones on his pedestal and run trivia games. * A Population Counter sculpture at the entrance to the area showing the United States's growing population. This was accompanied by the Great American Census Quiz game. * Compute-A-Coaster, an interactive exhibit where an animated beaver would help guests design their own rollercoaster. Would inspire Cyberspace Mountain at DisneyQuest and Sum Of All Thrills at Innoventions. * Get Set Jet, a game where guests helped people board a plane. * Putting It All Together, a quiz about the park. * The Manufactory, where you could digitally make flags on an assembly line. TravelPort Sponsored by American Express, the TravelPort was anchored by a 14-foot globe showing various destinations from around the world. An American Express Travel Service desk with live hosts would allow guests to get more information and even make reservations. Energy Exchange Sponsored by Exxon, the Energy Exchange served as a companion to the Universe of Energy. Anchored by a miniature oil rig model, the Energy Exchange featured a number of interactive exhibits based on wind, solar, nuclear, oil and gas energy. Electronic Forum The Electronic Forum allowed guests to electronically share their opinions on current topics and participate in other polls. * FutureChoice Theater, an 175-seat theater where guests could watch short films on current events and vote on their opinions through a multiple choice poll based on five buttons in their armrests. Topics ranged from thoughts on nuclear energy, to political freedoms, and sometimes more mundane questions. * The Person of the Century poll, which began on January 14, 1990, was initially intended to run until the year 2000. It allowed guests to vote from 89 different famous candidates or write names in. This was quietly removed in March of 1991 when it was found that guests and cast-members alike were abusing the write-in candidate options by submitting their own names or those of fictional characters. CommuniCore West FutureCom Sponsored by Bell System and later, AT&T, FutureCom was a collection of interactive exhibits focused around communications technologies. Exhibits included: * The Fountain of Information, a kinetic sculpture using lights, colors and motion to illustrate the vast interconnected web of communications technology * The Age of Information, a musical diorama featuring a song of the same name serving as a prescient look at how new advances in technology will connect our world. Near here, a game called "Packet", allowed guests to decode messages by colors, demonstrating then-modern packet switching technology. * Intelligent Network Map, a large interactive map of the United States showing the flow of information across the country. Guests could use touchscreen kiosks to look up information on the ARIEL (Automatic Retrieval of Information Electronically) system. EPCOT Discovery Center Also known as "Ask Epcot" and "EPCOT Outreach", the Discovery Center served as a library and information center to allow guests and educators to further explore the themes of Future World, playing a key role in the park's educational outreach programs. Expo Robotics Opening in February 1988 in a spot originally allocated for the "TRON Arcade", Expo Robotics showcased robotic arms programmed for a variety of tasks. These included precision tasks such as playing music or creating airbrushed T-shirts. When CommuniCore was turned into Innoventions, Expo Robotics would eventually become home to the Walt Disney Imagineering Labs in 1997. Restaurants and Shopping * Sunrise Terrace (West, replaced by Pasta Piazza Ristorante and Fountain View Espresso and Bakery) * Stargate Restaurant (East, renamed Electric Umbrella Restaurant) *Centorium (East, now MouseGears) Gallery Energy Exchange.png|Energy Exchange Communicore Stargate and Population Clock.png|A view of the Population Counter and the entrance to the Stargate Restaurant Smrt-1.jpg|SMRT-1 Fountain of Information Epcot.jpg|Fountain of Information CommuniCore East Sign.jpg|CommuniCore East sign epcot-experience-attraction-poster-communicore-1.jpg|CommuniCore attraction poster produced for the Epcot Experience Center poster collection. Video External Links *Disney Parks Blog: Vintage Epcot: A Look Back at Epcot's Communicore Category:Former Epcot attractions Category:Extinct Attractions Category:Future World Category:Interactive Attractions Category:Pavilions